Updated for September 2026
The Best Zoos in Alabama
How this list is ordered: by how complete our listing is — how much we hold on opening hours, ticket prices, accreditation, photographs, animals and facilities. It is a measure of our own coverage, not a judgement of the venue. We hold no visitor scores or conservation assessments, so “best” here means every zoo in Alabama that qualifies for the list, fullest entry first.
Listed alphabetically
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Birmingham Zoo
Zoo in Birmingham
This is the only AZA-accredited zoo in the state. It holds more than 550 animals of 180 species drawn from six continents.
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Keeper talk or showPetting zoo
Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo
Zoo in Gulf Shores
The site covers about 25 acres some two miles north of the Intracoastal Waterway, where over 300 animals are kept. Gate takings, memberships and donations supply its income. An Animal Planet series, The Little Zoo That Could, was made about it.
Our ranking methodology
This is not a ranking. The 2 venues above are listed alphabetically by name, the same order used throughout this site. We do not collect visitor reviews, star ratings, ticket-sales figures or a conservation-impact score, so none of those exist here to rank by — “best” in this page’s title means every venue that qualifies for this list, not first-to-last by quality. If we ever add a data source robust enough to support an honest ranking, this note and the order above will change together.